This might be made a genus, corresponding to Hypoxylon as to stroma,
but having the stroma hollow and filled with a pulverulent mass. In
reality, I think it is a better Camillea, the perithecia arranged the
same way, not permanent, but broken up at an early stage. Of course,
it is only an inference. Léveillé states that it has the spores borne
on hyphae (acrogenous), but I do not place much value on Léveillé's
statements. Patouillard, after admitting that he saw nothing but this
powdery mass, adds "it is probable that the spores were contained in
logettes with fugacious walls, of which only the marks on the inner
side of the cavity remain." It would have been better if he had
stopped there, but he goes on to propose afterwards that Hypoxylon
Bomba should be held distinct from Camillea under the name Phylacia,
because it presents a form "stylospored" and a form "ascospored." He
does not give the reason for the assertion that it is "stylospored,"
not even citing the uncertain testimony of Léveillé. Phylacia might be
held distinct from Camillea on the ground of the powdery mass and the
early disappearance of the perithecia and ascus walls. There is
nothing new about that. It was done years ago by Fries who called the
"genus" Leveilleana, which is a tip for some future name-juggler. All
that is really known about its early structure is only from inference,
and that inference is contrary to its having been "stylospored."
[Illustration: #Fig. 838.# #Fig. 839.# #Fig. 840.#
Camillea Sagraena. Fig. 838, a cluster natural size;
Fig. 839, broken specimen as often seen; Fig 840, two
long stipe specimens.]
CAMILLEA SAGRAENA (Figs. 838-840).--Plants oblong about 3-4 mm.,
stipitate or substipitate at the base, growing densely caespitose, in
patches, black, smooth, the apices usually obscurely mammillate. Stipes
usually short, but sometimes 6-8 mm. long, and when growing in clusters,
the bases consolidated by a carbonous stroma. Interior of the receptacle
in two compartments (Fig. 841 ×6), the lower filled with soft tissue,
black around the edges, but _white_ in the center. The upper compartment
filled with a mass of spores mixed with a few fragments of hyphae.
Spores narrowly elliptical, 6 × 12, straight, pale colored.
[Illustration: #Fig. 841.#]
In Cuba I made abundant collections of this species. It grew in patches
from the thin bark, usually on the branches of a dead tree. I do not
know the name of the tree, but I think it was only on one kind, one of
the few softwood trees of Cuba. Camillea Sagraena is undoubtedly a
common species in the American tropics. It has never been well
described, and the white tissue of the interior lower half, which is a
very rare occurrence in similar black, carbonous plants, has never been
noted. A "new genus" might be based on this feature. It is quite fragile
and the broken bases as shown (Fig. 839) are often all that remain of it
when old. Camillea surinamensis as named by Berkeley from specimens from
Surinam, type at Kew, is exactly the same species. Berkeley does not
record it from Cuba, but from Nicaragua, and the specimen is supposed to
be illustrated by Ellis in his plate 38. It may have been the plant, but
if so, it was so inaccurately drawn that it would never be recognized.
In addition to my abundant collections from Cuba, I have a scanty
collection also from Cuba from E. B. Sterling.
[Illustration: #Fig. 844.# #Fig. 845.#
Camillea Bomba. Fig. 844 on bark; Fig. 845 on hard wood.]
CAMIILLEA BOMBA (Figs. 844, 845).--Plants globose, sessile, 4-6 mm. in
diameter, black, smooth, without any disc. Dehiscing by irregular
fracture. Stroma hollow on the interior (Fig. 846 ×6) filled with a
brown powder, composed of spores mixed with abundant hyphae remnants of
the perithecia and asci. Spores 6-7 × 10-12, elliptical, pale colored.
[Illustration: #Fig. 846.#]
This seems to be a frequent species in tropical America. I collected it
in Cuba and have specimens from Miss Barrett, Jamaica, and L. J. K.
Brace, Bahamas. The latter specimens grew erumpent from thin bark, and
the broken bark forms a kind of cup at the base of the stroma. A thin,
black mycelial stroma underlies the bark. Those I collected in Cuba were
somewhat larger, and more irregular. Some grew in same manner, erumpent
from thin bark and the broken bark forms a kind of cup at the base of
the stroma, others on the naked, hard wood and grew more compact. In the
latter case the black stroma at the base was thicker and more in
evidence. There is no question but that Camillea Bomba is cogeneric with
Camillea Sagraena, but the gleba of the latter consists almost entirely
of spores, while in the former there is considerably more hyphae
remnants than spores.
CAMILLEA GLOBOSA (Fig. 847).--Plants densely caespitose, sessile,
globose, black, smooth. 7-8 mm. in diameter. Opening by irregular
fracture. Stroma hollow, filled with a brown mass of spores and hyphae
remnants. Spores elliptical.
Léveillé named this from a specimen from Tolima, Columbia, South
America. The type Fig. 847 is all than is known to me. Léveillé spins a
long story about it having spores borne on filaments, merely a wrong
deduction, I think, from his having found filaments (of the perithecia
walls?) mixed with the spores. Saccardo, who evidently did not take much
stock in Léveillé's story, omitted the species, suggesting that it was a
form of Camillea turbinata. Saccardo's conclusions were almost as bad as
Léveillé's.
We have not examined any specimens of Camillea globosa, but suspect a
section would show two divisions of the gleba, as in the next. In fact,
with the exception of the stipe, it appears to be the same plant, and
abundant collections may show them as only sessile and stipitate forms
of the same thing.
[Illustration: #Fig. 847.#]
CAMILLEA POCULIFORMIS (Figs. 848 and 849).--Plants caespitose,
stipitate, globose or obovate, smooth, black, 8-15 mm. in diameter.
Stroma somewhat flattened at apex, opening circumscissally[2] or
breaking irregularly. Stipe 8-10 cm. long, 2-3 mm. thick, black. Stroma
hollow, the interior in two divisions, a narrow layer above, the fertile
portion with a few spores in abundant, hyphae remnants, the lower
(corresponding to the sterile base of a Lycoperdon) of matted hyphae.
Spores short, elliptical, 9 × 14, pale colored, scantily found.
[Illustration: #Fig. 848.# Camillea poculiformis.]
[Illustration: #Fig. 849.#]
The pulverulent mass is rather firm, and remains after the peridium
breaks up. Camillea poculiformis was named Corynelia poculiformis in
Weigel's old exsiccatae, about a hundred years ago. It came from South
America. Years later Montagne published it as Hypoxylon poculiformis,
and Léveillé as Phylacia poculiformis. I can not trace it from Fries'
writings, though no doubt Fries had it and doubtless named it. The old
specimens of Weigel's exsiccatae are found in most museums of Europe,
and all the publishing has been done on this one collection. I have a
nice collection (Fig. 848), made by T. J. Collins in Guatemala.